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Glucosamine and its benefits for health and joints
Glucosamine plays a decisive role in maintaining healthy joints and cartilages. It occurs naturally in and around the joint cartilage, but also in the connective tissue and in the synovial fluid.
What is glucosamine and what are its benefits?
Glucosamine belongs to the group of amino sugars and is produced by the human body itself. While there are usually sufficient glucosamine levels in the body in younger years, the production of glucosamine decreases with age. Glucosamine is therefore often taken as a supplement, especially for osteoarthritis and other joint diseases.
How does glucosamine work in the body?
It is thought that taking glucosamine provides the body with the raw materials needed to repair and maintain cartilage. It also stimulates the production of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints and ensures that they move smoothly. Some studies suggest that glucosamine has anti-inflammatory properties and can thus alleviate joint pain and osteoarthritic inflammation.
Can glucosamine increase life expectancy?
Interestingly, glucosamine also appears to have an influence on longevity (increased healthy lifespan). An experiment with mice that were given a glucosamine supplement from the age of 100 weeks lived almost 10% longer than their counterparts in the group that did not receive a glucosamine supplement (Weimer 2014). Converted into human years, this would mean – hypothetically – that supplementation from the age of 65 would extend life by about 8 years. Several other epidemiological studies in humans (Pocobelli 2010, Bell 2012, Zhi-Hao 2020, King 2020) with a total of more than 500,000 individuals suggest that taking glucosamine supplements (almost) daily is associated with a reduced overall mortality.
Conclusion: Glucosamine has been shown to have a positive effect on joint health
To summarise: the positive effects of glucosamine on joint health have been thoroughly researched and repeatedly confirmed, while at the same time no negative side effects have been found at the recommended dosages. SPONSER® therefore suggests taking 2 x 2 tablets of GLUCOSAMIN CHONDROITIN + MSM per day, which corresponds to the maximum permissible daily dose of glucosamine and chondroitin.
Literature
Bell et al. (2012): Use of glucosamine and chondroitin in relation to mortality, in: Eur J Epidemiol. 2012 Aug;27(8):593-603.
King et al. (2020): Glucosamine/Chondroitin and Mortality in a US NHANES Cohort, in: J Am Board Fam Med. 2020 Nov-Dec;33(6):842-847.
Pocobelli et al. (2019): Total mortality risk in relation to use of less-common dietary supplements, in: Am J Clin Nutr, 2010. 91(6): p. 1791-800.
Weimer et al. (2014): D-Glucosamine supplementation extends life span of nematodes and of ageing mice, in: Nat Commun. 2014 Apr 8;5:3563.
Zhi-Hao et al. (2020): Associations of regular glucosamine use with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a large prospective cohort study, in: Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jun;79(6):829-836.
